The invention relates to the preparation of chocolate products with the incorporation of water.
Chocolate is composed of a fatty phase, e.g., cocoa butter and if necessary, lactic fat, and contains essentially solid compounds, for example, cellulose fibres, sugar crystals and dispersed proteins. In the preparation of chocolate, finely ground or refined cocoa powder is converted to a fluid suspension of sugar, cocoa and if necessary, milk powder in the fatty phase by the operation of conching. The water content of a chocolate is approximately 1 wt. % before conching and &lt;1% after this operation which causes evaporation of the water.
In the field of confectionery/chocolate-making, there is considerable interest in increasing the heat resistance of chocolate and reducing its calorie content. Various methods have been proposed for achieving these results.
One method involved the direct incorporation of water or humectants, for example, glycerol. This method of incorporation gives rise to a considerable and rapid increase in the viscosity, due to the fact that said compounds react with the sugar, which is dispersed in the lipid phase of the chocolate, to form agglomerates. The chocolate thus transformed is practically impossible to handle and produces a coarse, sandy sensation in the mouth. Even the subsequent removal of the water does not alter this degraded texture.
Other methods involved adding hydrated substances, foams, syrups, gels, or water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsions. An example of such an approach is provided by the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,760, according to which an emulsion of a solution of carbohydrate and a fat is prepared in the presence of an emulsifier, after which the emulsion is mixed with a tempered mass of chocolate.